


This is Not Me

by tiniestawoo



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical torture, Minor Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Warning: Kate Argent, mentions of:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26047516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestawoo/pseuds/tiniestawoo
Summary: She was a lot of things, and maybe Kate was even right; maybe she was a natural talent, but she was the only one who got to decide what she used that talent for.or, the one where Allison goes a different direction after leaving Kate's torture dungeon.
Relationships: Allison Argent & Derek Hale
Comments: 9
Kudos: 63
Collections: Teen Wolf Bingo





	This is Not Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clotpolesonly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clotpolesonly/gifts).



> This is like 1600 words of gratuitous "what if" featuring my girl Allison Argent, whom I love with all of my heart.
> 
> Also, it's for Jess who asked about it. I forced myself to keep it short and open ended. I hope you like it!
> 
> this is also not beta'd RIP
> 
> Enjoy!!

The flashing lights in Allison’s rearview mirror sent ice through her veins and she started to shake. Glancing at her speedometer, she let out a long sigh and slowed to a stop along the edge of the road, leaning her head against the steering wheel until she heard the rap of the flashlight on the window, and looked up into the bright circle of light.

-

_“What are you doing to him, is that going to kill him?”  
“Oh come on kiddo, don’t get all ethical on me now.”_

-

“This is not me,” Allison whispered to herself once again as she pulled away from the edge of the road. Steeling herself, she made an immediate right on the next side street. 

She was _not_ a blubbering mess. She was _not_ easily frightened. She’d been trained to protect herself – from other humans, she’d assumed – since she could walk. She was a successful archer and a decent student. She was a lot of things, and maybe Kate was even right; maybe she was a natural talent.

But she was the only one who got to decide what she used that talent for.

-

_“What is he?”  
“Shapeshifter, Lycan, Werewolf,” Kate had laughed, “To me he’s just another dumb animal.”_

-

It didn’t make any sense to Allison. How could this ‘dumb animal’ – this _person_ – be a bloodthirsty killer? How could the same charming guy with the bright smile and a beat up leather jacket be the person who was terrorizing the town? The night he’d driven her home from the party he’d been a perfect gentleman. (And, looking back, that had been a full moon.) 

Allison knew what she’d seen the night at the school – and it wasn’t the _person_ her aunt had strapped to a metal fence.

She wanted to believe Kate, even as she turned the car around and headed back out, waiting for the Sheriff’s vehicle to pass before she headed back the way she’d come. She wanted to believe Kate as she pulled her car into an alley a few blocks away from the entrance to the tunnel that Kate had taken her through. 

Her parents may have been hiding an entire species from her. They may have been lying to her since birth about what her father did when he left in the middle of the night with enough guns for an army. They may have thought she was weak or fragile. 

But, they had also taught her the importance of doing the right thing. They’d taught her that sometimes the right thing is _hard_. And they’d certainly taught her that it was important to stand up for what you believed in. 

Which led her to this moment, climbing out of the car, walking around to the back, opening the bow case and slipping her quiver over her shoulder. She stood in front of the entrance to the tunnel, bow in hand, rain pouring down around her, staring at the door that would lead her to the underground lair where Kate was keeping the werewolf – was keeping Derek Hale – chained to a fence, with electrodes taped to him. 

Kate’s car was gone, which Allison hoped meant that her aunt was too; off making whatever plans for Allison to _help_ her catch the second beta. 

The thought felt dirty in Allison’s mind. Would catching the second beta lead to more of this; torturing someone who, for all intents and purposes, had done nothing wrong? Chaining them up to a metal fence and pumping them full of electricity. Kate’s face hadn’t been passive either - she’d enjoyed it. _That_ thought made Allison want to be sick.

Who was she related to?

Drawing in one last breath she stepped into the tunnel, her heart beating loud enough that she was almost sure that she could hear it.

There was a lot about this situation that she didn’t know – was Derek actually dangerous? Was he going to kill her the moment she set him free? Was he going to kill Kate or her parents? (Quietly, in the back of her mind, a voice whispered: _did they deserve it_?) 

One thing was very clear, though: what was being done to Derek was wrong.

She hesitated at the last door, hand resting along the edge. She studied a loose thread on her archer’s glove and steadied herself. Pushing it open she looked into the mostly-dark room. Kate had turned off the bright spotlights that had been on earlier, and now all that lit the space was the glow of the moon through the tiny window, high up on the wall. 

“Back to gloat more about killing my family?” 

Allison stared at the ground, and let those words wash over her. Derek clearly thought she was Kate in that moment. He had no reason to lie, no reason to hide the truth or embellish. Had Kate really done that? Had she set the fire all those years ago? Allison’s heart ached. 

“I’m not…” She looked up, taking in the way Derek slumped against his restraints, the way his eyes hardly even seemed to glow anymore. “I’m not Kate.” 

The words had several meanings and she hoped that Derek heard all of them. She reached down to flick on the spotlight, hesitating for a moment and pointing it away from Derek so the warm light lit the space without beaming directly into his eyes. She stood back up, hand shaking more than she’d like to admit on her bow. “If I let you go, are you going to hurt me?” 

Derek stared at her, pale, sweaty, face still more wolf than human. His tongue darted out to wet his lips and he slowly shook his head. “I won’t hurt _you_.” 

“And my parents?”

Derek turned towards the tiny window and drew in a breath. Allison watched his chest expand, watched muscles in his abdomen twitch from residual electricity. “I can’t promise that.” 

Allison’s heart sank. “I can’t...they’re not like her.” 

Derek turned back to her, eyes full of a kind of pain that Allison had never seen before. “I won’t take your parents from you unless there’s a reason to.” 

Allison nodded, and ignored the tears that once again threatened to fall. “Did she really...did she do it?” she asked. She set her bow on the low wooden table and stepped close to Derek, reaching for the electrodes that were taped to his skin. She glanced up at his face for a moment before she tore them away from his skin. 

Derek sighed once again, and his eyes fell closed. “She’s not a good person, Allison.” 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Allison said, repeating the removal of the electrodes on the other side of Derek’s body. 

“Yes,” he said after a long pause, turning to her with a now human face, eyes more gold than green in the yellow glow from the spotlight. “She used me to get to my family.” 

Allison wasn’t sure that she could have felt _more_ betrayed by her aunt, who she had loved and idolized for years. Those words, though, and some quick mental math had her jaw dropping open. “You were my age,” she breathed. 

Derek nodded but didn’t say anything more. 

Allison turned away, tears slipping out of her eyes briefly as she searched for the key that would unlock the manacles that bound Derek’s wrists. “I don’t...there’s not a key.” She turned to him. “I thought I could get you out of here.”

“Hey,” Derek’s voice went soft as he spoke. “Hey, it’s okay.” A small, forced smile slipped onto his face. “Just, give me a few minutes. The electricity keeps me from changing, or changing back. It also slows down my healing. I just...I’ll be back to full strength soon.” 

Allison nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Her sins aren’t yours,” Derek said, tipping his head back. 

“Do you know who the alpha is?” Allison asked, remembering her conversation with Kate earlier. “And who the other beta is?” 

Derek let out a little sound that wasn’t an answer and she watched his head rock side-to-side in a low-effort shake. “You don’t want either of those answers.” 

“Yes I do.”

“What, are you going to go after the alpha all alone?” Derek lifted his head to look at her. “You learned about the supernatural two hours ago. I know, because if you had known, you’d have realized you were _dating a werewolf_.” 

Allison gasped, stepping back away from Derek, shaking her head slowly. “Scott?”

Derek nodded. 

“He’s the alpha?” 

That drew a tired half-laugh from Derek’s lips. “No. He’s the other beta. My uncle is the alpha.”

“Your uncle?”

“Peter.” Derek spat the word, and Allison watched his face contort with a blend of sadness and anger. “He killed my sister.” 

Suddenly, there was the loud groan of bending metal and one of Derek’s arms came down in a smooth arc, the manacle still attached but the chain binding him broken. He heaved in another breath and brought the other arm down with the same result. “You can go now,” he said, eyeing her warily. 

Allison grabbed for her bow and turned to leave, stopping at the door and glancing back over her shoulder. “I’m sorry for what Kate took from you, Derek,” she whispered.

“Sorry doesn’t bring them back,” he replied quietly, tugging the metal cuffs away from his wrists. “Just stay out of my way. And don’t – ” He rolled his eyes and shook his head “ – don’t tell Scott I told you.” 

Allison nodded and left, entirely unsure what the future held for her, but sure of one thing:

She’d done the right thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Come see the [gif set over on Tumblr](https://tiniestawoo.tumblr.com/post/627168635078770688) that I made to go with it!


End file.
